First Steps
The story of the Joensuu Art Museum begins in 1961, when the Joensuu-based pharmacist and art collector Olavi Turtiainen bequeathed his art collection to the City of Joensuu. The will required the city to provide proper museum premises and staff for the artworks, and the decision to establish the art museum was made in 1962.
The museum’s first collection exhibition opened to the public in early 1963 in the former girls’ lyceum building on Rantakatu. The museum operated there for its first twenty years. In addition to Turtiainen’s collection, the foundation of the museum was strengthened by two other donations received in the 1960s: Arla Cederberg’s collection of Finnish art and the international collections of Onni Okkonen.
The Lyceum Building
The current museum building on Kirkkokatu dates from 1894 and housed the Joensuu Classical Lyceum until 1974. Designed by architect Theodor Decker, the building was described at the time of its completion in the newspaper Karjalatar as “an intermediate form between Renaissance and Gothic style.” Today, it is regarded as a typical example of Neo-Renaissance school architecture from the 1890s.
Due to increasing student numbers, the lyceum suffered from a lack of space early on. To address this, a separate gymnasium building was constructed in 1909. This wooden building, designed by Jac Ahrenberg, now houses Taidekeskus Ahjo. In 1923, a third floor was added to the originally two-story school building by altering the shape of the roof.
By the 1960s, it had become clear that the lyceum building no longer met the requirements of a modern school. It remained in educational use until 1977. By then, it had deteriorated so badly that the only options were demolition or a complete renovation. Due to its cultural-historical value, the latter option was chosen.
From Lyceum to Museum
The former girls’ lyceum building on Rantakatu soon proved too small for the art museum’s needs. When the Joensuu Art Museum was designated as a regional art museum in the 1970s, this provided additional motivation to convert the lyceum building on Kirkkokatu for museum use. Renovation began in the late 1970s, and the art museum, along with its collections, moved to its current home in 1981.
In the new premises, all three core collections were displayed on the second and third floors, while impressive spaces for temporary exhibitions were created on the first floor. The museum reopened to the public on November 29, 1981.
In 2012, the art museum celebrated its 50th anniversary and received the name Onni. The name refers to Academician Onni Okkonen, whose extensive art collections are owned by the museum.
Growing Collections
Over the decades, the collections of the Joensuu Art Museum have grown and diversified. In his will, Olavi Turtiainen required that his collection be continuously expanded through a designated fund.
Significant more recent donations include the Hilkka and Juhani Berghem icon collection, received in 2000, and the modern art collection of Carl-Johan af Forselles, donated in 2007. Okkonen’s Chinese art collection was further supplemented in 2011 by a donation from the Kotovuori family.
Regional Responsibilities
Since the beginning of 2020, Joensuu Museums (Joensuu Art Museum and The North Karelian Museum) have operated as the museums with regional responsibilities in the North Karelia region. The responsibilities include promoting museum activities in North Karelia regian, coordinating regional art museum work, and serving as an expert authority on the cultural environment within the region.